Amended Slovak Foodstuffs Regulation Effective as of April 2014

The amendment to the Slovak Act No. 152/1995 Coll. On Foodstuffs proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic has finally been approved by the Slovak Parliament and became effective as of 1 April 2014.

Through this amendment local, regional, including farm foodstuffs and agricultural products, should be promoted and advertised in Slovakia with special information highlighting the Slovak local, regional or farm origin of the goods. The amendment aims to ensure better consumer knowledge in respect of (i) origin of foodstuffs and agricultural products and (ii) the proportion of the goods produced in the territory of the Slovak Republic. The aim is to influence consumers' purchasing preferences. For most businesses, providing such information will be voluntary and only will apply to the foodstuffs and agricultural goods produced and placed on the market in the territory of the Slovak Republic. However, there are various information and publication obligations for sellers with annual turnover of €10,000,000.